Ministers attacked the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, during the meeting of the political-security cabinet last night, after Halevi asked the ministers to condemn the storming of the Sde Teiman and Beit Lid bases by far-right supporters.

Last week, military police raided the Sde Teiman detention facility and detained for questioning 9 reserve soldiers on suspicion of sexually torturing a Palestinian detainee from the Gaza Strip. Ministers and MKs, along with dozens of right-wing supporters, stormed the facility in an attempt to prevent the arrest of the suspected soldiers. Later, right-wing ministers and MKs stormed the Beit Lid base, where the military court that considered extending the soldiers’ detention is located.

Israeli media published leaks today, Friday, of the argument between Halevi and the ministers during the cabinet meeting, which was dedicated to discussing expected attacks on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah in response to the assassination of the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the senior military leader in Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr.

"The decision to open the investigation was correct," Halevy said at the start of the cabinet meeting, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir interrupted him by asking, "And it is correct even though you sent masked military police to arrest soldiers?"

Halevi replied, "They were obligated to be masked because they (the soldiers) would recognize them and threaten them. There was no choice. Sde Teiman should be closed and the detention should be in prisons only, not by soldiers."

Police refuse to investigate right-wing elements storming Sde Teiman and Beit Lid bases

Related

Police refuse to investigate right-wing elements storming Sde Teiman and Beit Lid bases

"Let's admit the truth," Ben-Gvir said. "You closed Sde Teiman because of the (International Criminal Court in) The Hague, and you are again afraid of pressure."

"Military police officers must come wearing masks because when they interview a company commander in the IDF, they shout at him," Halevi continued, before Justice Minister Yariv Levin interrupted him, saying, "They should never conduct interviews, that's not their job."

Transportation Minister Miri Regev asked Halevi: "Why are they bringing them to the soldiers like this? I want answers." Ben-Gvir added: "Couldn't they have been summoned by phone? They are not criminals."

After Halevi called on the ministers to support the military police, Ben-Gvir said: “Our support, or at least my support, is for the soldiers. I support them and I do not support these shameful arrests,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Halevi: “Don’t preach to the ministers. Your job is not to preach to the ministers.”